Text | UN: HelplesslyWeak

[life_ethereal]

WHO: Harumasa and you!
WHERE: Libra Network
WHEN: 1/17
WHAT: There's another newbie on the Libra network! Hopefully he's friendlier.
WARNINGS: None, but will update if it comes up! Please remember to fill out his permission/opt-out post~

Okay, so, I ran all the antivirus programs I've got on my phone and this app keeps coming up clean.
So I guess I'll introduce myself!
Hi, I'm Harumasa, nice to meet everyone, etc.
Don't know why I'm here on this app, but here we are!
Guess I'll do a little bit of an icebreaker or something.
I'm between jobs, I'm a Cancer (crab), and I was born in the year of the rabbit.
Favorite word: sleep!
Favorite color: probably yellow or green!
Fun fact about me is that I'm oh so very delicate and frail! My health is so poor, just the worst. There's never enough sick leave. Woe!

[Even through text he manages to make that sound so fake.]

Even thinking about work gives me SO much fatigue.
Anyway, I got a really, critically important question to ask:
Is it always this cold in the winter?!?!
I feel like just stepping outside is going to make me come down with something!!
My poor, delicate constitution isn't cut out for this....

Comments

voice | private | un: kissmyash

[switchaxe]

...Hazel?

[No way.]

1/??? one second

[life_ethereal]

Huh?

2/???

[life_ethereal]

[That voice is very different from what he remembers. After all, it's been a long time since he last saw Ash.

And...

And Ash was supposed to be dead, right? That's what his visions showed him.]

3/4???

[life_ethereal]

[But nobody else has ever called him 'Hazel,' and he's never been able to stomach even using that nickname as an alias.

....]

4/4 Done! Aaaaand private forever~!

[life_ethereal]

... Ash?

[It has to be, right?]

It is you, right?

un: petaltothemetal

[blossominghopes]

[She could answer this seriously.

But also.]

[life_ethereal]

It's the lady who dropped me off at the weird, occult Walgreens!
Small world!
What brings you to these parts?

un: ragna

[centralfiction]

[... Harumasa? Like... That Harumasa from Lithuania?!

... oh hell fuck no.]

What the fuck are you doing here?

[life_ethereal]

[Wow, he says it's a small world and it turns out to be more prophetic than normal. He's very much regretting his careless words, now.

On the other hand, it's nice to know that Ragna has been doing... well? Ish? He's alive, at least, and that's a good thing!]

So rude and so cold, Ragna!
I thought we had a better relationship than that.
No "nice to see you, Harumasa" or "heeeey how's it going, Harumasa?"
I'm heartbroken!

[Bro why do you sound like a lamenting lady right now.]

text: un: trienemybest

[droptheious]

I think you could have probably added some fake coughing in there to really sell it.

Anyway, it's usually pretty cold, but not this bad. I'd suggest against stepping outside anyway in case you uh... die. I don't think even healthy people can get out for long. That's- that's not just a you thing.

Welcome to the app. I'm Varian.

[life_ethereal]

I can't cough through text, silly!

[Otherwise he absolutely would've.]

Oh, no! If I die, what will happen to my poor cat? I guess I'll just have to stay bundled up indoors, then! My darling cat will be so lonely without me and I just can't risk it.

Nice to meet you, Varian!

UN: hikari-vi | PRIVATE

[whiteshroud]

So... funny story.

That's a sibling I didn't even know was alive until about ten minutes ago, and he's probably going to be staying at the fortress.

Surprise!

1/3

[greatlydares]

[...she knows that username.

She knows that username.]

2/3; un: belleoftheboulevard

[greatlydares]

not really, no! Apparently something really weird's happening to cause the weather to get this cold. For now, though, yeah, you should definitely call in to work—no point in risking yourself in weather like this!

3/3; so private it's off the network; un: Phaethon

[greatlydares]

Harumasa?

I think we really need to talk. You know where Random Play is in this city, right?

text; un: lagenaria

[pharmacologic]

The weather really is terrible, isn't it? I have a couple of space heaters set up at the pharmacy, if you need to stop in.

And welcome to Libra, by the way.

[life_ethereal]

And this is why I'm your forever loyal customer from here on out~!

Thank you, thank you.

Do I get a discount on shipping if I put in for a refill via private message?

text; un: midnightfishing

[illucesco]

no, there's spirit realm bs at work. messaged the group chat already so dm knows not to expect us.

also hi, harumasa, welcome to the app that's been plaguing me, caleb and wuxian since last year.

[life_ethereal]

What a pity! I guess I get to go to bed early tonight~

Hiiii, Noctis! ...Wait, all THREE of you are on here???

[There's an ominous snicker in his mind. He takes a screenshot of himself saying it's a small world to Lia and pastes it here.]

I've been hit with the dodgeball again, haven't I?

UN: Shroud | Voice

[whiteshroud]

[Well this is bottom of the list of things he expected to see. A post that reads very much like someone he used to know. Someone he assumed to be dead for years. Sure Ash had gotten out alive, but between his health and his self-sacrificing personality, the idea of Harumasa making it out of that massacre alive... it felt off.

So Jun is immediately on edge. There's a chance this is really him, but there's every chance it's another ploy from the surviving remnants of Krusnik. And if it was that... well, he knew what he needed to do.

When he responds, it's with a modulated voice]

Harumasa.
Considering you were presumed dead nearly ten years ago
I'm going to need more proof to believe you're who you say you are.

[life_ethereal]

[...Interesting! He's never been recognized by someone who uses a modulated voice. Harumasa has been on the run for long enough that he doesn't trust someone who won't use their real voice. His tone is still light, but now there's a distinctive edge that hadn't been there before.]

Gotta say, not a fan of someone going by an alias and using an altered voice asking me to prove who I am when I don't seem to know them. Especially if they thought I died 10 years ago. Afraid I'm not willing to give out any other info about me if I don't have some proof that I won't pay for that. I haven't lived this long by being careless about that sort of thing.

text: un: Mr. ColdFeet

[anyprice]

Aw, come on, it's not that cold.
Maybe a little cold. But I don't know, I've been out in snowstorms way worse than this in a past life, I think.

Aaaanyway, if you ever need a doctor's note, I have a hookup and they're legit enough to get you a little *extra* leave if you need it. ;)

[life_ethereal]

It's COLD! And I'm saying that after being in the Baltic for a year or two!
Terrible vacation spot in the winter, btw, super don't recommend.
I got so sick I felt like I was dying!

[Harumasa.

Oh, a rare chiding from his roommate. He... ignores that for now.]

Is that a fact?
I might take you up on that offer~

video | un: lastlullaby

[end_singer]

[Since Nito's not at home at this particular moment, the face that appears on camera is not his usual skeletal one... and instead means Harumasa's staring at a mothman.]

Ah, welcome. The winters in this particular part of the world are not usually quite so harsh. I would recommend staying indoors as much as possible, even for those with heartier constitutions.

[life_ethereal]

[....

Harumasa has seen some weird shit in his day, but not quite this! His brain unhelpfully supplies him with the question of, "??? Thiren???"

But. He'll. Take it in stride. He guesses!]

If the mothperson tells me to stay inside and that healthier people should also stay inside, I'm not gonna argue~!

voice | un: anarchy (private)

[nefilim]

[ Ana just... blinks at her phone for a moment. Puts it down. Picks it back up again. That message, that name, is still there.

No it's... really him. After all this time, she thought he had died along with the others during that raid - she had been so convinced, after she couldn't find anyone else. ]

Haru?

Holy shit, is that actually you...?

Private forever!

[life_ethereal]

[There's Ana. He might not have been her big brother, but she's always been the big sister he wanted to protect just as much as their littler siblings in that hellhole.]

It's me. In the flesh. Alive and... uhhhh mostly well! ... It's good to see you again, sis. Didn't think I'd get the chance to see any of you, but looks like luck's on my side right now.

text; un: blade

[unreachableside]

[He could just keep scrolling, but Varian and Ragna and Shroud commented, so like...]

You're a friend of Ragna's? I'm Blade. If you're in a bind I can find you a place to stay inside the protected areas of the city. I've got heaters, too.

The cold isn't natural, so there isn't much you can do about it unless you have some kind of enchantment. I recommend finding a safe place and hunkering down until it passes.

[life_ethereal]

Oh, my God, Ragna has a friend??? Now I've seen everything!

Nice to meet you, Blade. I'm in temp housing at the moment, so I can crank the heat up a bit without worrying too much about the utilities cost, but leaving my nice, cozy, warm room is like torture.

Fresh out of fire enchantments myself! I'm a wind kinda guy, you know?

[That feels both true and not true anymore, so he amends:]

Well, I guess wind and lightning, but details!

text, un: wanyin

[fouren]

[ he would have continued to scroll but then he saw Wei Wuxian comment. he shouldn't be surprised more of his friends have come out of the woodwork. ]

If you're too cold get more layers. Or find someone capable of manipulating fire.

[life_ethereal]

[Well, hello, new spicy friend!]

But then the layers get far too heavy! You have to put them all on, then take them all off, and in between you have to walk around the city wearing them? Ugh... my weak heart can't take all of that.

Hmmmm... but paying someone to manipulate fire around me is an interesting thought! Probably way too far out of my budget right now. Unless you're offering~?